Metro Sports Report

Kennedy spikers slip by Warriors, 3-1

The Cedar Rapids Washington volleyball team tied Kennedy in total points Tuesday night, 95-95, in their Mississippi Valley Conference match at Washington.

Unfortunately for the Warriors, they didn't win enough of the big points to claim a victory.

Kennedy trimmed Washington, 29-27, 16-25, 25-20, 25-23, by making a series of clutch plays in the first and fourth games.

Nikki Price named Xavier softball coach

Xavier High School stayed within its softball family to pick a new head coach.

Nikki Price, an assistant with the Saints for eight years, will succeed Brian Erbe as head coach, the school announced Tuesday.

Erbe resigned at Xavier this summer to become the new softball coach at Jefferson, where he works as a school administrator.

Rodenkirk gets dream job at Jefferson

Kyle Rodenkirk's cell phone rang at 3:30 Monday afternoon. He hasn't stopped smiling since.

Chris Deam, the athletic director at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, called to see if Rodenkirk wanted to return to his alma mater and become the school's new baseball coach.

Rodenkirk, 28, didn't have to think about it, but he did have to catch his breath.

"It was a pretty quick trigger for me," he said. "I was a little shell-shocked.

"I'm excited and honored."

Double duty for new Prairie coach Yegge

Joe Yegge won't have to travel very far for his new job as the softball coach at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School.

All he has to do is leave his office at Kirkwood Community College, drive down Kirkwood Boulevard SW and turn the corner at 76th Avenue. He'll continue to coach Kirkwood in the spring, then lead the Prairie Hawks during the summer campaign.